On a nice sunny day.....

... jog, ride a bike, take the dog for a walk, stretch out and have some coffee, take the baby out on a stroller.

One Man's junk...

... is another man's treasure.  At the very least, recycling at it's artistic.

Your neighborhood coffee shop...

This scene can easily be repeated (no pun intended) countless times around the world.
A little story here.

Long before Starbucks, there was a small coffee shop in Berkeley called Peet's.  Yes, there was a man named Alfred Peet who moved to America in the 1940's.  Coming from Holland, he was shocked at the poor quality coffee that was served in America and decided to bring the art of coffee making to us.

There's a short history of Peet's on their website.

The back story here is that three individuals from Seattle learned of this coffee store.  One of them got hired on at Peet's and learned the business.  You got.... this is how Starbucks was born.

So if someone were to tell you that Starbucks is the end all of coffee, tell them the tale of Peet's.

Jump for joy ....

I can't wait for winter to be over with.  These two visitors to San Francisco were having a blast.  At least they were being creative with their pictures.  The word JOY comes to mind.

Just add water...

This little guy is all set to go.... now if only the tide would come way in.

A Lazy afternoon...

Man on the bench.... catching a few winks.  Swan in the water.... catching a few winks.  This author.... drinking 5 Hour Energy.... what is wrong here??

How many more...

While sitting for an hour to get a table, I was just fascinated with this young lady behind the counter.  People dead ahead, to her right and left, restaurant staff all around her.... everyone asking questions and yet.... she kept it together.

Color or Black and White??

A poll question.  Which one do you like better and why?
Your comments will be most appreciated.

Our Pets trust us...

Just a reminder to everyone.... although the weather has been on the cold side and we all love to bring our pets with us, remember that too many accidents have occurred when pets were left in a closed vehicle.  This little one wasn't by itself too long before the owner came out from the store.  Just remember how hot a vehicle can get!

The Palace is open once again...

After months of renovation, the Palace of Fine Arts is once again fully open to the public.

Built for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition, this jewel is the last remaining series of structures of a massive complex that was built.

The structure was actually made out of chicken wire and plaster.  When the exposition closed, the entire complex was destroyed to build what is now known as the Marina District.

A complete history is available at http://www.exploratorium.edu/palace/index.html

Time for my closeup....

Recently, the amount of wild life in the Bay Area that have been shot has increased.  Criminologists and Psychologists have said that individuals who perform senseless killing or harming of wildlife typically will progress to killing people next.  May those sick people get their just rewards.... these are God's creatures as well.

You only need a small space...

This thing is only about 2 feet deep and maybe 6 feet wide.  It's not larger than a telephone closet that a small office may have.  It's actually a newsstand that's been there for generations.  It even has an address number.

Going down?...

Another film shot.  Mundane I know.  But if you like this stuff, the smoothness of the contrast changes and the amount of detail.  It's amazing how we hate "noise" in our images but when it comes to film, it becomes wonderful "film grain". 

I got it mom....

Consumerism.  Not really, this little girl couldn't wait to go through her mom's bag.

Lion in the Winter....

There is something special about film.  The amount of grain and how an image is rendered.  The smoothness of the slight changes in shades.  It's been decades since I last shot film.... and I know why, it costs a lot.  Anyway, special thanks to the gang at Camera West for allowing me to shoot film on a Leica M7.